Of Mazoku And Moonlight
by Threshie
Summary: A XelLina ficcy which is rather hard to explain. Please just read. PG for language no violence or ecchiiness, please r&r and tell me what you think!


Of Mazoku And Moonlight 11/12/2001  
  
By ThresherII ^~  
  
  
  
  
  
"Lina Inverse is becoming too much of a distraction to you." The Beastmaster's voice rang out all too clearly in her round throne room, and Xellos fought to keep from objecting--Juu-ou-sama could say what she wanted, he had no right to contradict her. After all, he was just her servant, general and priest, and she was a Dark Lord.  
  
"What would you have me do, Juu-ou-sama?" he asked, looking up at the platinum-blonde woman who sat upon the throne before him. She took a drag off of her cigarette, the long, elegant holder delicately perched between her fingertips.  
  
Blowing a ring of smoke into the air, she said, "I want you to kill her, Xellos. She's a threat to us Mazoku, anyway. It was only a matter of time before she met her end."  
  
No, Xellos moaned silently, but outwardly only nodded and said, "Yes, Master. Consider it done." With that, he phased out of the chamber without another word, not even goodbye.  
  
***  
  
The Mazoku re-appeared in the middle of Lina-tachi's campsite, glancing around for the small, redheaded sorceress. The girl was nowhere to be seen, however, and neither was Gourry or Zelgadis. In fact, the only person he saw there at all was Amelia, the justice-loving princess of Saillune. He mentally groaned-as if he didn't feel bad enough already. If she started her 'Life Is Wonderful' song, he was going to faint.  
  
He approached the small, black-haired girl carefully, observing that she was stirring something in the cooking pot. "Ohayo, Amelia-san, I take it Lina-san and Gourry-san aren't around, if that stew's still in the pot!" he said cheerfully, smiling his usual, eternally happy smile and coming up to stand beside her.  
  
"Oh! Xellos-san, you scared me!" Amelia gasped, clutching a hand to her chest, then pointed a finger in his face, "It is unjust to scare innocent girls like that, Xellos-san! And also to simply pop in uninvited! And..And..Yes, Xellos-san, Gourry-san and Lina-san are out beating up bandits right now." Xellos smiled again.  
  
"Thank you, Amelia-san, and I'm sorry for startling you," he said, waving, "Ja ne!" Amelia sighed as he phased out, and went back to stirring the stew, wishing there were someone to talk to there at camp.  
  
***  
  
It was easy to find Lina--Xellos simply phased in near the biggest local explosion. Sure enough, the redheaded sorceress had just finished blasting a bunch of bandits with a Dragon Slave spell, while Gourry sat on a stump nearby, resting.  
  
"Hah! That'll teach you to mess with the sorcery genius, Lina Inverse!" she cried, blasting them with a fireball for added effect. The poor singed bandits lay where they had fallen, too beat up to even so much as twitch. Lina grinned smugly, turning to pile her bounty on the heap she already had collected near Gourry's stump, and she caught sight of the Mazoku, hovering nervously nearby. "Oh, hey, Xellos," she grinned, "Did you see that blast? Hah, you'd think that bandits would learn after I blew them up a zillion times plus two, but noooo!"  
  
Sweatdropping, Xellos grinned weakly and nodded, glancing over at Gourry. The blonde swordsman had apparently become so comfortable on the stump that he's fallen asleep, and he was now snoring softly, hugging one of the bags of gold that Lina had stolen from the bandits. Sweatdropping some more, the 'Trickster Priest' turned back to Lina and smiled a bit sheepishly.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt your bandit-killing, Lina-san," he said, and she started to shrug, but then a loud rumble shook the entire clearing, and she instead grinned sheepishly herself.  
  
"Heh, that's okay, I need to eat something before I can blow anything else up, anyway! So, Beastmaster send you here?" Xellos began to get uncomfortable, but then she asked, "Or is it a secret?", winking and waggling her finger in a perfect imitation of him when he said that. He grinned a bit, but only half-heartedly.  
  
"Of course, Lina-san. You know me too well, ne?"  
  
"Not really, since that's about the first thing that came out of your mouth when I first met you, too!" she said, grinning, "Just a sec, I'll go get Gourry, then we can chat over dinner!" He watched the redheaded sorceress head over to the stump that the swordsman was sleeping on top of, and bash him on the head with one of the bags of gold to wake him up, and he sighed. He was supposed to kill her?  
  
Juu-ou-sama didn't say when, though, he thought downheartedly. If I hang around here for no reason at all, not only is Juu-ou-sama going to tell me to go ahead and get it over with, since I'm here anyway, but Lina-tachi will wonder why I'm here as well and start asking questions. Maybe if I go somewhere else?  
  
If I look like I have something else to do, maybe Juu-ou-sama won't notice that I haven't carried out her orders yet. Not likely, she can watch whatever I do with a thought.. It's the best chance I have, though. I have to take It.. Nodding to himself, he phased away before Lina saw the sad expression on his face.  
  
***  
  
Lina knocked on the door of the small, messily kept house, wondering why Xellos would want to live here, of all places. It had been six months since she had seen him last. Several weeks after he'd disappeared, she'd began to worry, and had asked around about him, but to no avail. She'd traveled from town to town, asking about violet-haired priests who wore black, had a constant smile and carried staves, but nobody admitted to having seen Xellos anywhere. Amelia and Gourry seemed to think she was insane, going so far as to search Xellos down.  
  
Amelia kept saying that he must not want to be found-surely she would've come across some clue, or he would've just phased in sometime, if he did want to talk. But Lina Inverse was stubborn, and this stubbornness is what led her to keep searching until she came to Atlas City, and finally got some clues as to Xellos' location. The locals admitted to seeing a man with violet hair who wore black, but they said that he didn't carry a staff, and they'd never seen him smile the whole time he'd been here. In fact, according to them, he was almost always depressed.  
  
Still, it was a lead, and so she got the location of the man's house, and had come to see if it was really Xellos who lived there. And so there she was, standing on the doorstep, knocking on the door and hoping that, if it was Xellos, he would talk to her and not just phase away. He couldn't, not after all this searching..  
  
"Hello? Who's there?"  
  
The soft voice on the other side of the door sounded nothing like the Xellos Lina knew, but she answered, "It's Lina, Xellos. Open up and talk to me face to face, please." I sure hope it's him now that I said that! she thought nervously. There was the sound of locks unclasping, and then the door slowly swung open a few feet. Lina stared. The 'Trickster Priest' looked visibly different, bedraggled and tired.  
  
He wasn't wearing the black cape he usually wore everywhere, nor the cheerful smile he usually had on his face, and his disheveled violet hair looked to be quite unkempt. But the most surprising thing, to Lina, was that his eyes were open. They stared at her, a gathering of amethyst- colored shards of glass that had such a lost and lonely look to them that it made her shiver. There was an uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Lina-san," he said at last, "I..It's been awhile...hasn't it?"  
  
Lina nodded, "Yeah. Listen, I need to ask you something-" He held up a hand, cutting her off.  
  
"Don't. Please, Lina-san," he said softly, eyes pleading with her, "Don't ask why I left, I-I can't tell you. You can't stay here, if you do I have to go." She searched his eyes with her own, but found no answers, only an almost panicked need to keep the reason for his leaving a secret at all costs.  
  
"No secret can be kept forever," she whispered, and he lowered his gaze to the ground at his feet, unspoken words, thoughts and emotions glittering in his eyes.  
  
"But this one can," he answered after a short pause, his voice even quieter then hers had been just moments before. He slowly looked back up and met her gaze, and his eyes held a haunting expression. It was as if an amethyst-colored fire burned behind those soul-touching orbs, and Lina involuntarily took a small step backwards.  
  
She stood there for a moment, captured by his gaze, but finally asked, "But do you want it to stay secret? Is that really what you want?"  
  
An almost panicked expression flashed through those eyes, but disappeared as quickly as it came, and he answered unwaveringly, "Of course I do, Lina- san." The words were said stiffly, almost as if they were forced.  
  
"Xellos," Lina began, "This isn't like you. You popped in, said hello and nothing seemed wrong, then disappeared for half a year! I don't think that's what you wanted to do at all. I think it's what your master, Zelas, wanted!"  
  
He shook his head violently, "No. No, you're wrong, this has nothing to do with Juu-ou-sama! Nothing!"  
  
"But I think it does," she countered, stepping closer to look him in the eye. He averted his eyes from hers, and she nodded. "I think you want to tell me, but she won't let you, will she? Can't you fight that? Can't you think for yourself, and break away from her orders?!" He cringed visibly as she spoke.  
  
"It's..not what she wants me to do. I didn't leave because she ordered me to, it was because she ordered me to do something else.." Lina stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
He flinched at her touch, but didn't shrug her hand off, as she said, "But what do you want to do, Xellos? Don't think about what she wants. Think about what you want. She didn't want you to leave, but you wanted to, so you did. And she doesn't want you to tell this secret, but do you want to tell me?" She reached up and touched his face, turned it so that she could look into those eyes, and whispered, "Do you, Xellos?"  
  
He stared back at her with a torrent of violently strong emotions swirling about in those amethyst eyes. She stared back, her own ruby eyes both steel and fire at once, and her gaze held strong, even against the powerful spell those amethyst orbs seemed to weave. He wavered, finally, bringing gloved hands up to clutch at his head and sinking to his knees on the floor.  
  
"I..can't....do that. Please, Lina..-san..!" he gasped, and she knelt down beside him.  
  
"Xel, this isn't any way to live! You do things for her all the time, but what about you?! It's practically slavery! It's not right to live your life for someone who never did anything for you, and never will, you have to see that!" She placed a hand on his shoulder, peering into his face.  
  
He shook violently, hanging his head and moaning in what seemed to be pain, and said quietly, but intensely, "No.. It doesn't..matter what...happens to me! She's a Dark Lord..I...can't...disobey someone..of higher.....rank...in the mazoku race..! Besides, she…created me. I..I'm only here..for whatever she wants me to do." Lina grabbed his arm.  
  
"That's where you're wrong! It may not matter to her, or even you what happens to you, but it matters to me! It matters to me, dammit, and I'm sick and tired of watching you get walked all over by that bitch of a Dark Lord!" She caught the start of a sob in the back of her throat, watching as he finally slowly lifted his head to meet her gaze.  
  
His eyes asked the question silently, but he still said softly aloud, "You..you care what happens to me?" She nodded after a second, trying very hard not to cry. It had taken a huge amount of guts to just come out and tell him that, and she was afraid of how he might react. Please don't say that that doesn't matter either, she silently begged, looking down, afraid to meet his eyes. She would be able to tell instantly what he thought of what she'd said if she'd only look him in the eye, but she was afraid to find out.  
  
This's what happens when you love someone, she thought almost miserably, Dammit, why can't he just say something and get it over with?! I'd rather hear that he didn't want anything to do with me then be in suspense any longer!' The lightest of touches on her face brought her out of her thoughts. She realized that it was his fingertips brushing her cheek, and immediately blushed, though she was rejoicing inside. She looked up into his face to see that he was smiling very slightly, gently.  
  
The expression was nothing like the overly-cheerful, almost fake-looking smile he usually had on his face, nor the evil one he reserved for times when he was acting like his true Mazoku self, but a more tender expression, the kind that most didn't notice until it was gone.  
  
But Lina saw it, and whispered, "Would you..care, if something happened to me..Xellos?" His eyes filled with tears, much to Lina's surprise.  
  
"Oh Lina-san, of course I would," he whispered, hugging her and lightly leaning his cheek against the top of her head, "Of course I would. But, Juu-ou-sama has ordered me to-I-I don't even know how to start to tell you this, but I..I..." he trailed off, sighing.  
  
"What is it?" Lina asked softly, looking up at him, and he met her gaze with anguished amethyst eyes that were filled with tears.  
  
"J-juu-ou-sama wants to get rid of you, Lina-san. She..thinks you're starting to affect me too much, and..and she gave me orders to kill you. That's the only reason I left, I'm sorry about worrying you." Lina's eyes widened, realizing that if he couldn't disobey the Beastmaster without being far away, he had to kill her because he was close to her-and he had her right here now, off-guard. An easy opening for the kill.  
  
"What are you going to do?" she whispered, looking up at his face again, and she saw him shake his head.  
  
"I..I don't know. I can't disobey her, but..I can't ever hurt you, either, Lina-san. I couldn't do it, I..I wouldn't be able to make myself even try to!" She pulled away from the hug, looking up at him.  
  
"Xellos..do you...do you care about me?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
He nodded immediately, "Of course I do, Lina-san. That's why I can't do what Juu-ou-sama ordered me to.." He sighed, staring at her as if a great rift separated them, and she looked down at the ground, blushing.  
  
"T-that's not what I meant," she murmured, feeling flustered, "Do..do you..I mean-do you love me?" she finally asked quickly, keeping her gaze firmly fixed on her feet. Tears welled in her ruby eyes in worry. What if he said no? She felt her face being tilted upward, and next thing she knew, he was kissing her. She was surprised, but not unpleasantly, and kissed him back.  
  
When they finally separated, he grinned a bit and said, "I've been wanting to do that since the day I met you." She seemed a bit stunned by the Mazoku's sudden show of affection, but smiled back and threw herself into his arms for another hug.  
  
"I love you, too, Xellos." He sighed, once again leaning his head on top of hers.  
  
"I don't know if this is what you humans call love, but if it is, I think I could get used to it." They sat in silence for a moment, just holding each other, but then Lina remembered what he'd said before.  
  
"But Xellos..What are you going to do about what the Beastmaster wants you to do?"  
  
He hugged her tighter, "I'll do what I have to and whatever happens to me happens, because I won't-can't-ever hurt you, Lina-san. I promise, those are one set of orders that I will not carry out, no matter what the consequences for refusing are." Nodding silently, the redheaded sorceress closed her eyes again and snuggled closer to his chest.  
  
"You know, if you say no then she'll probably make someone else do it," she murmured sleepily, and he smiled a bit, blowing unruly violet bangs out of his eyes.  
  
"Not if I have anything to do with it," he whispered in her ear, as she drifted off to sleep. He sighed, remaining sitting there on the floor in the doorway of the small house he'd been staying in, holding the sleeping Lina as the moon rose. He didn't know what he would do to resist the Beastmaster's orders, but he had to, somehow, or he would end up killing Lina. That was something he wouldn't be able to live with, and he closed his eyes, wishing as hard as he could that there were some way that he could avoid harm coming to the small, redheaded girl in his arms.  
  
Something troubling you, Xel-kun? He nearly jumped, startled by his Master's voice speaking so suddenly in his head.  
  
Yes, Juu-ou-sama, he answered obediently, knowing that she had probably watched the whole scenario between Lina and himself unfold, and would be able to tell if he was lying, anyway.  
  
Ah, it has something to do with Lina Inverse, doesn't it? the Beastmaster mused.  
  
Xellos immediately answered, Yes, Juu-ou-sama. I..I'm afraid I've allowed myself to become attached to the girl. I know this displeases you, and I am sorry. Punish me as you will.  
  
Oh, you're so silly sometimes, Xel-kun! the jovial voice in his head laughed.  
  
He opened his eyes, asking cautiously, My apologies, Master. But aren't you unhappy with me, to not only become attached to my target, but tell her of my orders to kill her as well, and also to delay in carrying them out?  
  
It's true, you did disobey my orders, in a way, by deliberately keeping from carrying them out. But I didn't realize that you cared for her like that.  
  
W-what does it matter, isn't loyalty to one's Master supposed to come before personal affairs? he asked, his mental voice shaking slightly. Why was she suddenly acting like this?  
  
Usually, yes, she admitted, But you and I are not like most Mazoku, Xel- kun. We have some wolf in us, something the other mazoku do not. Wolves are not solitary creatures, in fact, they mate for life, and so I thought that it would be acceptable to allow you to be with someone. I had no idea that you would pick Lina Inverse--she's a constant irritation--, but if that is who you wish to be with, I suppose I will let her live for now. I'm sure you'll get bored with humans after awhile, but until then, I don't suppose it can hurt too much to let you be with her.  
  
Xellos could barely believe the words his master had just said. She didn't want him to kill Lina? She was letting him be with Lina?!  
  
When he finally got over his shock enough to speak, he said softly in his mind, ..Thank you, Juu-ou-sama. He looked down at Lina and smiled, Thank you so much!  
  
Don't grovel, it's unbecoming, was the amused answer, You two seem to be happy together, and I sense that L-sama doesn't want Ms. Inverse out of the picture just yet, so that's how the cookie crumbles. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go down to Zifilia and have a nice, long, girl chat with your new girlfriend's big sister, Luna. You don't mind, do you?  
  
Not at all, don't let me keep you from it! he answered immediately, happiness evident in his mental voice, Goodbye for now, and again, thank you so much, Juu-ou-sama!  
  
Sure thing, goodbye Xel-kun, she answered, smirking wryly in his head, and then she was gone. For a moment, he just sat there, happy, but wondering how he was going to explain this to Lina. Finally, he just shrugged.  
  
"Why tell her what happened?" he asked himself aloud, quietly, so that he didn't wake Lina, "I'll just tell her that it's a secret!" With that, he winked, grinned a secretive little grin, and went back to watching the moon slowly rise, a feeling of peace and happiness that he'd never known before surrounding him. He felt protected, and loved, and everything seemed just right, right now.  
  
He grinned to himself some more, wondering what would happen when he cooked breakfast in the morning and Lina ate some before realizing that he was the one who had cooked it. Glancing down at the small, redheaded sorceress, he decided that he needed to buy a new house soon-this one would probably be blown up before he knew it. That's my Lina-chan, he thought, grinning again and leaning back against the still-open door. He was still smiling as he drifted off to sleep a few moments later.  
  
~Owari  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*Grinz* Awww, Xel-Lina fics are soooo kawaii! ^^ Gomen for OOCness, I didn't know Slayers very well when I wrote this (I wrote it awhile ago, but didn't get around to posting it 'til now 'cause I didn't really think it was good enough).  
  
Anyway, ahem: I do not own Slayers, nor Xellos or Lina, so don't sue. ^~;; Btw, this's the first fic I've ever written, original or fanfiction, where anybody ever kisses each-other. ^~;; Just for the record.. Lol, please r&r and tell me what ya think of it, okies? C'ya laterz. ^^ 


End file.
